This list contains Factions for the various locals frequented during the 2017 Shadowrun campaign. As PCs deal with faction-aligned NPCs they may develop good or bad standing with many of the underworld organizations. These standings will affect their ability to interact with those groups.
In game play, characters will gain bonus dice or suffer dice pool penalties for each point (positive or negative) of faction they have for social interactions dealing with NPCs belonging to those groups. Characters can only gain or lose standing through game play.
Los Angeles Factions:
Organized Crime:
The Ricca Family – Mafia
Territory: Santa Monica, Holywood, Downtown, San Fernando Valley
The Ricca family, otherwise known as ‘the Chicago Crowd’, are ex-pats from Bug City that setup shop in LA in the 2050s. They hit the town in a big way by eliminating a lot of the competition, and taking their holdings for their own. The current cappo is Charles Ricca, the original Chicago Don.
The Milano Family – Mafia
Territory: Downtown, Pasadena, Covina, Fun City
The Milanos are the ‘old family’ of LA, led by ‘Old Man Milano’ who’s currently Bobby Milano Junior. They are currently working with the Ricca family, but it’s a tense partnership. The Ricca’s have taken a lot of the ‘new business, like BTLS, drugs, and white-collar crime, while the Milano’s have a stranglehold on gambling and ‘entertainment’.
Red Dragon Association – Triad
Territory: Santa Monica, Harbor, Palos Verdes
The Red Dragon triad is the largest and most influential triad in Hong Kong, and they have a small presence in LA. They operate mostly in the Santa Monica and the Harbor, working through these trade hubs to bring goods in from the east. They are headquartered in Malibu, a short distance from the day to day business. The Red Dragon is an international organization, and the LA branch pays honors back to Hong Kong.
Sapphire Crane Society – Triad
Territory: Hollywood, Downtown
The Sapphire Crane Society claims the biggest share of LA’s drug trade. They also deal heavily in talislegging, illegal trade in animal body parts, and prostitution. Though the Sapphire Crane Society has gangs in the urban sprawl of the Inland Empire like the other Triads, the majority of their core leader ship operates from LA Central, specifically Downtown.
Black Crysathimums – Triad
Territory: San Bernardino
The Black Chrysanthemums are a ruthless group that established themselves in some of the worst slums in LA. The Black Chrysanthemums are LA’s main human trafficking syndicate in every sense of the word. They transport refugees in and out of Hong Kong, Seattle, and San Francisco, and LA, trade in slaves and indentured servants, and run the largest most aggressive organ-legging operations in the area.
The Koshari – Tribal Syndicate
Territory: Pomona, Ontario, Escondido, Barstow
The Koshari are a local AmerInd tribal syndicate that usually deals in talislegging, magical compounds, and illegal magical services; they’re also the internationial cartel’s client syndicate for distributing drugs in L.A. Tse Ye Mu is a mystic adept and the head of the magical dealings of the Los Angeles Koshari; he reports to his superiors in Las Vegas if he needs extra muscle.
The Dogmen – Syndicate
Territory: Laguna, Santa Ana, Brentwood
The Dogmen are a Salish/Haida crime outfit that concentrates mostly on smuggling large items. They work the ports in LA, mostly, intead of going cross-desert. The Dogmen are well-connected in the neighboring NAN countries, as well as in Cal Free and Seattle.
Karatsa-gumi – Yakuza
Notably absent from the LA Underworld is the Yakuza. In the 2060’s many Japanese were forced to relocate to San Fran, depleting the Yakuza powerbase. Following the Twins, the Little Tokyo was flooded and an informal agreement was reached… the Yaks keep San Francisco, and LA was left to everyone else.
Komun’go – Seoulpa Ring
Territory: Glendale, Pasedina, Downtown
Th e Komun’go is one of the two Seoulpa Rings still operating in LA. Although they flourished in Los Angeles and beyond for years, until new conflict with the Red Dragon Triad almost wiped the Korean syndicates from the map. The Komun’go in particular saw their numbers depleted in clashes with Red Dragon enforcers. Its will to survive as an organization has been seriously challenged.
Gangs:
Los Ángeles Ardientes (The Burning Angels) – Go-Gang
Territory: East LA, Downtown, El Infierno
Identifers and Colors: Black and Red, Anasazi tattoos common in ‘lifers’ and leadership, Symbol: Flaming Wings
Numbers: Approx. 250 (Locally)
The top dog of LA gangs is the Burning Angels, a Latino gang that claims much of flooded East LA as its turf, along with major parts of Downtown. The Angels have some Anasazi ties, and it’s suspected that they provide a smuggling route into the city for weapons, gear, and drugs distributed by the desert tribe.
The Ancients – Go-Gang (Transnational)
Territory: West LA, Downtown
Identifers and Colors: Green, predominatly elf, no meta bias.Symbol: Modified Neo-Anarchist “A”
Numbers: Approx. 75 (Locally)
The local chapter of the elven go-gang has long been a presence in the City of Angels, focusing primarily on smuggling, protection rackets, and sidelining as security for small companies. Although they are a slightly smaller gang than the Angels at about 75 members, they have the advantage when it comes to weapons, gear, and tactics. Regardless of their size or organization, the Ancients hold a special place in the LA sprawl, mostly because the gangers are just so damn photogenic. So many trids and sims feature the leatherclad, bike-riding elves that they’re almost a symbol for the city’s underworld. (Colors: Green and Blue)
The Cutters – Street Gang (Transnational)
Territory: Hollywood
Identifers and Colors: Gold and Green, well equipped, Symbol: Crossed Switchblades
Numbers: Approx. 125 (Locally)
While they got their beginnings in drug dealing and street-level violence, they’ve evolved over the years into a pseudo-corporate force with the resources, income, and structure of a small corporation. Although they deal in goods and services that qualify as black-market or illegal in many jurisdictions, they do so with a primary concern for profit. Violence is a side effect of their primary for-profit goal, and this group is not involved in political or social terrorism.
The First Nations – Turf Gang
Territory: Riverside/Corona expanding into southern San Bernardino
Identifers and Colors: Blue, predominantly AmerInd, no meta-bias
Numbers: Approx. 130 (Locally)
The First Nations gang is led by a Salish elf known as Blood-of-the Buffalo and recruits primarily from disenchanted Amerind youths in the sprawl. The group appears to be motivated by a need to reestablish themselves as a formidable presence in the local gang scene ever since they severed its ties with the The Ricca Family.
The Ragers – Turf Gang
Territory: Pasadena and Glendale
IdentiFers and Colors: Black and gray, predominantly ork and troll
Numbers: Approx. 100
The Ragers have been operating out of the Pasadena and Glendate since the early 60’s and have been on Gang Crime’s low-priority Threat list for almost as long, despite their penchant for violent crime.
The Shit Kickers – Turf Gang
Territory: Palos Verdes Island
IdentiFers and Colors: Brown and Gold. Symbol: Blood covered boot
Numbers: Approx. 100
Primarily a human gang, with a few orks thrown in, the Kickers are well known for the stranglehold they have on the smaller ports near Harbor. With just over fifty members, these guys mostly run protection rackets and dabble in smuggling… along with the old standbys of robbery, car and boat jacking, and drug dealing.
Los Verdugos – Turf Gang
Territory: San Bernardino
IdentiFers and Colors: Black and Blue, exclusively orcs and trolls. Symbol is a Hangman’s noose
Numbers: Approx. 75
Los Verdugos is an ork gang who wear black synthleather jackets with an image of a white noose on the back. They’re particularly violent towards humans and non-Latinos, but people of all races who enter their territory had better be careful. Los Verdugos mark the edges of their territory by stringing up the bodies of gangers and other intruders who went where they shouldn’t.
Iron Crosses – Go-Gang
Territory: San Bernardino
IdentiFers and Colors: Black and Silver, all humans. Symbol is an Iron Cross
Numbers: Approx. 90
A virulently racist go-gang based out of LA and the PCC. They claim parts of San Bernardino as their territory, plus the highways that stretch out into the Mojave and up into the mountains. They like to go about in groups of ten to fifteen bikers, on heavy hogs and armed with heavy pistols, chains, knives, and the occasional Molotov cocktail. Part of their initiation ritual is being marked with a red-hot iron cross on the face, leaving a distinctive scar.
International Factions:
Watada-Rengo – Yakuza
The largest rengo on the planet encompasses most of the gumi in Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and Europe. The Watada-rengo acts as a sort of gumi itself: the Oyabun of the Watada-gumi leads the organization, and each of the other Oyabun and kumicho in the rengo pays a small percentage of their profits to the rengo. In return for these monies, the Watada-rengo is obligated to protect and assist its members. Oyabun Maasaki Watada organizes cooperation between gumi, settles disputes (only when absolutely necessary), provides information and contacts, and provides material aid and support to handle any violent conflicts in which Watadarengo members find themselves.
Oyabun Watada frowns on the New Way, and so his gumi lacks women, metahumans, and half-breeds; all of the gumi the Watada-rengo follow suit to greater or lesser degrees, and Watada quietly supports and endorses the traditions and rituals of the Yakuza by electing new Oyabun for leaderless organizations from his own pool of supporters. The Watada-gumi itself is headquarted in Chiba and has extensive dealings and even outright control of the world-famous implant and medical clinics in that district.
Red Dragon Association – Triad
The Red Dragons are arguably the largest, most powerful, and best globally positioned of the Triads. Based in Hong Kong, they have affiliate branches in dozens of other cities around the world, including locations in the Americas, Australia, throughout Asia, and even a few in Europe. While most of those branches are fully functional independent entities, they all tithe back to the Hong Kong chapter. This leaves the organization incredibly well funded and capable of starting up new organizations anywhere that they can identify a market and a community.
Persistent rumors tie the Red Dragon’s leadership to the Red Great Eastern Dragon Lung, suggesting that Hsaio Wai-Gong is merely a puppet. There’s no hard evidence to support this, but there’s also none to disprove it. The name makes for some great evidence, but the name predates the Awakening by several decades.
The Olaya – Ghost Cartel
The Ghost Cartels originated in the major drug cartels of Central and South America in the late twentieth century, the narcotrafficantes, which were primarily known for aggressive, ruthless, and oft en very violent practices related to the growing, production, shipping, and distribution of drugs like marijuana and cocaine. The Olaya Cartel (formerly the Cali Cartel) is the group responsible for tempo. It is headquartered in Guayaquil, with major operation centers in Bogotá and Caracas. It also possesses close ties with elements of the Amazonian government.
The group frequently uses KondOrchid, a transnational shipping and transport corporation owned by cartel leader Jaime Salazar, to carry hidden cargoes of narcotics to ports in the Pacific Rim, South Atlantic, and elsewhere. Between KondOrchid and employing dedicated smugglers operating along the Andean Highway and over the Muralha Verde, the Cartel is able to ship the drug in its various forms for processing and distribution to its target markets around the world.
Hong Kong Factions:
The Red Dragon – Triad
Territory: Hong Kong (Kwai Tsing, Kowloon, Yau Tsim Mong, Kwun Tong, Central, Eastern Hong Kong)
The Red Dragon triad is the largest and most influential triad in Hong Kong. They operate heavily in the Kwai Tsing district, and are headquartered near the HK Container Port, but gangs from all over the region swear allegiance to them. The Red Dragon Association is also an international organization, with vassal gangs throughout Asia, Australia, and North America. While most of those branches are fully functional independent entities, they all tithe back to the Hong Kong chapter led by Shan Chu Hsaio Wai-Gong.
Ten Thousand Lions – Triad
Territory: Hong Kong (Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Kai Tak airport, Yau Tsim Mong)
The Yellow Lotus triad was decimated by the Red Dragon a few years ago, after targeted raids against all of thier leadership. Well, almost all of the leadership. Rizal Fei, ended up the only surviving officer. A canny survivalist, Rizal pieced together the patchwork survivors among the former Yellow Lotus gangs and built up the Ten Thousand Lions, becoming the Shan Chu of the new Triad.
Smoke Circle Society – Triad
Territory: Hong Kong (Southern Coast, Central, Sai Kung)
The Smoke Circle Society claims the biggest share of Hong Kong’s drug trade. They also deal heavily in talislegging, illegal trade in animal body parts,
and prostitution. Though the Smoke Circle has gangs in the urban sprawl of Kowloon like the other Triads, the majority of their core leader ship operates from the southern coast of Hong Kong Island or the outlying islands as far as Sai Kung.
Black Crysathimums – Triad
Territory: Hong Kong (Kowloon, Kowloon Walled City)
The Black Chrysanthemums are a ruthless new arrival to Hong Kong. They established themselves in some of the worst slums of Hong Kong during the struggle between the Red Dragon and the Yellow Lotus. The Black Chrysanthemums are Hong Kong’s main human trafficking syndicate in every sense of the word. They transport refugees in and out of Hong Kong, Seattle, and San Francisco, trade in slaves and indentured servants, and run the largest most aggressive organ-legging operations in the area.
289s (Easy Money Gang)
Territory: Hong Kong (Yau Tsim Mong, Central)
The Smoke Circle Society claims the biggest share of Hong Kong’s drug trade. They also deal heavily in talislegging, illegal trade in animal body parts,
and prostitution. Though the Smoke Circle has gangs in the urban sprawl of Kowloon like the other Triads, the majority of their core leader ship operates from the southern coast of Hong Kong Island or the outlying islands as far as Sai Kung.
The Tolo – Vory v Zarkone
Territory: Hong Kong (Sha Tin)
TheTolo Vory runs prostitution rings, pornographic sim studios, and abrisk BTL trade from the northern reaches of Hong Kong. They boast corporate military officers among their members, which ensures the syndicate some room to work.
Tokyo Factions:
The Watada-Rengo – Yakuza
The Wataad-Rengo is the largest Yakuza organization on the planet, and they are headed out of Neo-Tokyo. Since its formation over a century ago, the Watada-rengo, which owes its ultimate loyalty to the oyabun of the Watada-gumi, has been the preeminent power in the Yakuza, both in Neo-Tokyo and around the world. Th e great dragon Ryumyo has extensive infl uence on the Watada-rengo. The rengo’s closest ally is the Mita-Gumi.
Mita-gumi – Yakuza
The strongest of the Watada-gumi’s allies in Neo-Tokyo is the Mita-gumi, the largest and oldest organized crime syndicate in Neo-Tokyo—now sadly depleted in numbers by years of Yakuza infighting. Nominally, thirteen-year-old Hiroshi Mita is oyabun of the clan, but he is currently being educated by his guardians until he is ready to take over. In the meantime, “Uncle” Hiro Yamajima acts as kumicho in his stead, directing street operations. Besides their widespread protection rackets, the Mita-gumi deals in BTLs and other drugs, and has recently begun dabbling in BADs.
The Wanibuchi-Rengo – Yakuza
The newest and most modern of the major Yakuza organizations in Neo-Tokyo, the Wanibuchi-rengo in Neo-Tokyo is comprised of three New Way clans: the Wanibuchi–gumi, the Kodachi–gumi, and the Inagawa–kai. Unlike a traditional rengo, the Wanibuchi-rengo follows a corporate model with decisions about the rengo’s actions decided by a vote of the oyabun of the member gumi. Th e Wanibuchi-gumi have extensive connections with expatriate Yakuza organizations in Latin America and receives the philosophical support and advice of the free spirit Jurojin, who helped them against the Watada-rengo.
Kodachi–gumi – Yakuza
Th e Kodachi-gumi are one of the most feared Yakuza syndicates in Neo-Tokyo. Th ey prefer to maintain their control with a heavy hand and are sometimes singled out by the police and megacorporate security forces for the excessive violence they use in their standard business practices. Traditional Yakuza look down on them as thugs and barbarians. In fact, the members of the Kodachi-gumi seem to take pleasure in their violent rebellions against common practice. The Kodachi hold the dubious distinction of the greatest infl uence in Japan’s penal system as a result.
The Bratva – Vory v Zakone
Territory: Tokyo Docks
The Bratva is the local Vory organizatsi, mainly restricted to the docks and aligned with the Vladivostok Vors. They are primarily engaged in smuggling and prostitution, but have been branching out into the drug trade with the blessing of the Watada-Rengo.